Videogames, equality hashtags, and Leonardo DiCaprio parties? It must be The Oscars! The 88th Academy Awards took place on Sunday 28/02/16 and the internet has since exploded.

This year’s Oscars may have been shrouded in controversy due to the racial inequality in the shortlisted nominees, leading to the #OscarsSoWhite Twitter campaign— yet tens of millions of starry eyed film buffs still tuned in to watch Chris Rock answer the question on everyone’s mind ‘Will Leonardo DiCaprio take home the golden prize?’

The huge socio-cultural following behind The Oscars means brands looking to tap into the award show’s audience better have cash, as 30 second commercial spot prices soared to as high as $2 Million. New research by Kantar has highlighted that Oscar programme space allotted to ads is on the rise, with The Oscars increasing ad slots by 25% in the last five years. This year the volume was at its highest, with 30 minutes of the three hour 16 minute broadcast being given to paid ads, posing a great opportunity for adland.

The 2016 Oscars were not short of award-show inspired innovative campaigns, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s desperate chase for Academy recognition being the driving force at the forefront of most. The Engine Group Mischief’s PR campaign saw ODEON Cinemas in Leicester Square change its name to LEODEON ahead of the awards to show support for DiCaprio, who won a much deserved Oscar for Best Actor in his Leading Role for The Revenant.

Whereas the digital world was taken by storm with The Line Animation groups ‘Leo’s Red Carpet Rampage’arcade game, which allowed users to race Leo down the red carpet on a quest for the ultimate reward. In honour of Leo’s big Oscar win, The Line Animation have released a special edition of the game, titled ‘Super Red Carpet Rampage.’ Now players can take revenge on the bear that tore DiCaprio to shreds in The Revenant— all in the final level — in order to win the Oscar.